As is known in the art, one type of fiber optic connector is a so-called "SC" connector. Conventional SC connectors include a number of separate components which require assembly during to properly terminate a fiber optic cable. Typically such connectors utilize a double-ended receptacle, a plug which includes on one end a buffer back post and on a second end a ferrule holder, which holds a ferrule and a spring which is disposed about the buffer back post and between the plug and receptacle. Thus, typical SC connectors require the manipulation of a number of separate disconnected components during the assembly process.
During the assembly process, the receptacle is placed over one end of the fiber optic cable, as is the spring. An optical fiber is then inserted through the buffer back post and into the ferrule. The optical fiber is forced through the ferrule until a buffer portion of the fiber optic cable is disposed in the buffer back post of the plug. Once the fiber optic buffer is disposed in the buffer back post, the spring and the receptacle are disposed over the plug.
The fiber optic cable is attached to the ferrule using epoxy. A syringe is used to inject the epoxy into the buffer back post prior to inserting the optical fiber and buffer into the back post. When the epoxy is injected into the buffer back post, some epoxy typically overflows out of the buffer back post. If epoxy overflows it may glue the spring to the buffer back-post. Since conventional SC connectors are unable to be disassembled for cleaning, the connector must then be thrown away because it is necessary to keep the spring free floating with respect to the buffer back post to properly terminate the fiber optic cable.
It would thus be desirable to provide an SC connector which may be pre-assembled prior to connection of a fiber optic cable and which may be disassembled for cleaning in the event epoxy overflows during the assembly process. It would also be desirable to provide an SC connector which does not require the manipulation of a number of disconnected connector components during the assembly process.